The inventive apparatus and method relates generally to devices for controllably dispensing liquids, and more particularly to drip type odorizing and disinfectant liquid dispensers and dispensing methods used by such devices.
Deodorizing and disinfecting treatment systems for urinals and toilet bowls are known which are wall mounted units having wick-type dispensing systems which periodically allow drips of olfactory and biocidal fluid to flow through a tube and onto the surface to be treated, such as the inside of the toilet bowl or inside wall of a urinal. The wicks are generally mounted to absorb fluid from a gravity feed liquid reservoir, while another end of the wick is positioned to drip into a flow tube or other liquid guiding mechanism. At least a portion of the wick is exposed to facilitate odorizing of the surrounding area within a room. Hence, the wick serves as the liquid transfer mechanism between the reservoir and the flow tube and the odorizing medium. With these conventional systems, typically, one deodorizing or disinfecting unit can only treat one urinal.
Several problems exist with conventional wick-type systems since they typically require a number of time consuming and messy steps for installation and servicing. Generally, for installation or servicing, a wick must be inserted in a support tube and subsequently splayed at both of its ends so that the wick properly absorbs the liquid. Furthermore, the wick must typically be adjusted so that a sufficient length reaches either the reservoir of liquid, or the conveying tube to enable the drops to properly flow at a predetermined adjustable rate. The rate is generally adjusted by the size and type of wick used.
There are numerous types of olfactory and disinfectant liquids, and each of these liquids typically have differing viscosities. A wick-type system normally will require a different wick for different viscosities of liquid given that the absorption and flow rates will differ depending upon the viscosity of the liquid. This generally requires the service personnel or user to stock a plurality of different wicks. Where a user decides to use the same wick, the user is often restricted to using liquids having the same viscosity. Also, the wicks transfer (absorb) the liquid molecules with the lowest specific gravity first, such as alcohol or fragrance molecules. Therefore, the fragrance decreases rapidly after only several drops. There exists a need for a liquid dispensing device capable of dispensing a more constant fragrance level throughout the dispensing process.
Another problem occurs with conventional wick-type systems because the reservoir and wicks are typically exposed to the air, thereby allowing dirt and air-borne particles to accumulate in the reservoir and on the wick. Consequently, clogging occurs because the wick transfers dirt particles to the flow tube opening.
Other types of deodorizing and disinfecting systems are known which operate based on the flush action of the urinal or toilet and are often in-line devices. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,306 and is a system for injecting metered amounts of chemicals into flush water as the flush water enters the toilet. A small bore in the injector assembly connects to a chemical reservoir so that the chemical is pulled into the flush water as the flush water passes through the assembly. Such in-line devices are typically costly and require time consuming installation. Also these devices are generally only one-to-one deodorizing units in that only one unit can be installed per each urinal. In addition, such systems are generally not controllable and do not include an air odorizing feature.